Editing Myth (video game series) (section)

====''Soulblighter''====
''[[Myth II: Soulblighter]]'' went into development immediately after ''The Fallen Lords'' proved a commercial success.<ref name="Secrets235">{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1999 | page=235 | isbn=9780782124422}}</ref> One of Bungie's main goals with the sequel was to include gameplay aspects and game mechanics which they had wanted to feature in ''The Fallen Lords'', but had been unable to implement due to time constraints.<ref name="Secrets235"/> Of the initial planning for ''Soulblighter'', [[Alex Seropian]], Bungie's co-founder, said:

{{blockquote|We had a lot of specific [[Game design|design]] goals for ''Myth II''. Part of those things are enhancements to the [[Game engine|engine]] as well as the gameplay. There were some things in the gameplay and artificial intelligence that made the original annoyingly difficult, and those were some of the things we wanted to enhance. In addition to that, we decided to touch basically every facet of the game. We wanted to make the music and sound better, the graphics - so we basically retouched every area of the ''Myth'' gaming experience.<ref name="Secrets235"/>}}

New to ''Soulblighter'' were moving 3D models within the gaming world, something none of Bungie staff had ever created before. For example, the opening [[Level (video gaming)|level]] features a fully functional windmill, and a later level features a drawbridge that closes as the level begins, and which the player must then lower so their army can gain access to a castle. Although the original game featured the same kind of 3D polygonal models, none of them moved, and implementing this feature proved to be one of the biggest challenges the team encountered in making the game.<ref name="Monsters"/> Another challenge also involved something not seen in the first game: a level set indoors. For this level, which is set in a large castle, the AI had to be rewritten as two enemy units could be right beside one another but not be able to see each other because of a wall between them. Previously, two units standing beside one another would automatically attack. Writing this new code into the AI [[scripting language]] proved especially difficult for the [[Game programmer|programmers]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1999 | page=239 | isbn=9780782124422}}</ref>

In terms of the game's graphics, as with ''The Fallen Lords'', each level in ''Soulblighter'' is constructed on a [[Polygon mesh|polygonal mesh]]. However, the mesh used in the sequel is four times finer than in the original, and hence the graphics are more detailed and smoother. Like the first game, although the game world itself is fully 3D, the characters populating each level are 2D sprites. The sprites in ''Soulblighter'' have many more frames of animation than those in ''The Fallen Lords'', and so move more smoothly.<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1999 | pages=237–238 | isbn=9780782124422}}</ref> Explaining why the team stuck with the concept of using 2D sprites in a 3D terrain, [[Video game producer|producer]] Tuncer Deniz stated:

{{blockquote|It's a performance issue. The reason we went with sprites for the characters is because in ''Myth'' you can have one hundred units on the screen at the same time, and if they were all polygonal models, even those with the fastest home computers wouldn't be able to play the game.<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter: Strategies & Secrets | last=Farkas | first=Bart | publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Sybex]] | location=New York, NY | year=1999 | page=238 | isbn=9780782124422}}</ref>}}

''Soulblighter'' originally supported software rendering, all 3dfx and Rendition [[Graphics processing unit|GPU]]s, and any [[Video card|graphics cards]] that supported [[Direct3D]] for Windows and [[QuickDraw 3D]] for Mac.<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter Instruction Manual | url=http://tain.totalcodex.net/items/show/myth-ii-soulblighter-manual | publisher=[[Bungie]] | year=1998 | chapter=Using 3D Acceleration | page=7 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://ie.ign.com/articles/1998/10/22/myth-ii-adds-direct-3d-support | title=Myth II Adds Direct3D Support | website=[[IGN]] | date=October 21, 1998 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> The game also supported [[3D audio effect|3D audio]], specifically [[Aureal Semiconductor]]'s [[A3D]] and [[Creative Technology Limited|Creative Labs]]' [[Environmental Audio Extensions|EAX]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Myth II: Soulblighter Instruction Manual | url=http://tain.totalcodex.net/items/show/myth-ii-soulblighter-manual | publisher=[[Bungie]] | year=1998 | chapter=Getting Started | page=18 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Myth screenshot.jpg|thumb|250px|Screenshot from ''Blue & Grey'', an [[American Civil War]] set [[Mod (video gaming)#Total conversion|total conversion]] of ''Soulblighter'', created by the community using the Fear and Loathing tools.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://tain.totalcodex.net/items/show/blue-and-grey | title=Blue & Grey | publisher=The Tain | access-date=March 22, 2016}}</ref>]]

When ''Soulblighter'' was released, Bungie included the "Fear" and "Loathing" programming tools, which allowed players to create new units and maps.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ie.ign.com/articles/1998/09/18/bungie-to-release-myth-tools | title=Bungie to Release Myth Tools | website=[[IGN]] | date=September 17, 1998 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref> Bungie themselves strongly encouraged the creativity of their fan base in using these tools. For example, in April 1999, they issued a press release regarding the [[World War II]] [[Mod (video gaming)#Total conversion|total conversion]], ''Myth II: Recon'', saying: "This kind of [[Plug-in (computing)|plug-in]] was exactly what the ''Myth II'' tools were intended to inspire, and is an excellent sign that ''Myth'' mapmakers are taking this game world in fascinating new directions."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://ie.ign.com/articles/1999/04/17/myth-ii-goes-world-war-ii | title=Myth II Goes World War II | website=[[IGN]] | date=April 16, 1999 | access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref>